Switzerland 
Bank secrecy and the Swiss criminal code
Home > Swiss bank accounts > Bank secrecy > Legal basis > Criminal law

New! We have created a special website about Swiss bank accounts with hundreds of pages of information. Micheloud & Cie, a well-known Swiss firm, owns both websites.
Click to visit www.swiss-bank-accounts.com

Two articles of the Swiss criminal code regulate Swiss bank secrecy:

  • Article 162 takes punitive action against the disclosure of trade secrets or confidential business information.
  • Article 320 deals with occupational confidentiality.

Here is the text of the two articles:

Article 162 of the Swiss criminal code
Any person who has divulged a trade secret or confidential business information that was meant to be kept by virtue of legal or contractual obligation, any person who has used this information to his or her benefit or to that of a third party, will be, on prosecution, punished by imprisonment or by fine.
Article 320 of the Swiss criminal code

1. Any person who has divulged a secret entrusted to him or her as a representative of authority or a civil servant, or who has acquired knowledge by means of his or her practice or employment, will be punished by imprisonment or by fine.
The disclosure remains punishable even when the practice or employment has terminated.

2. The disclosure will not be punishable if it was made with the written consent of a superior authority.


 Other pages of interest:


The information contained in this website is not meant to substitute qualified legal advice given by a specialist knowing your particular situation. We can accept no responsibility for the consequences of decisions made following information found on this website. Micheloud & Cie is not a bank and neither sollicits nor accepts deposits. Currency conversion and interest rates provided on this website are listed for informational purpose only and may not be up-to-date. More >>

© Micheloud & Cie 2008      Tel. ++41 21 331 48 48  info@switzerland.isyours.com. No part of this site may be reproduced in any form or by any means without our prior written permission. Printed from http://Switzerland.isyours.com/e/banking/secrecy/criminal.law.html